The International Center for Integral Formation (ICIF) held its annual Summer Institute for over 120 school administrators and teachers, while also launching its brand-new web site: www.icifusa.com.

Jim Pieczynski´s introduction to admissions course

August 30, 2008. Atlanta, Georgia. A total of 80 school
administrators and 30 teachers converged on the Simpsonwood Retreat Center
in Atlanta, GA from July 28 to August 1, 2008
for the annual Summer Institute sponsored by ICIF (International
Center for Integral Formation). Their goal was to learn more
about the Integral FormationSM method of education developed by the
Legionaries of Christ, and to find ever more successful ways
of implementing it in their schools.

The participants,
who came from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, and
the Philippines, were able to choose from over 40 different
presentations on every facet and nuance of integral formation, from
apostolic formation to curriculum mapping to gender-specific formation and more.
The participants were subdivided into special tracks and presentations for
school executive directors, principals, academic coordinators, formation directors, deans of
students, admissions directors, and teachers.

One of the highlights for

The meals provided an opportunity for team building and exchanging experiences.

the administrators and teachers was the chance to learn from
each other, and to share experiences of what worked and
what didn’t. The round-table discussions were an especially good opportunity
to share “best practices” and talk about strategies that gave
good results.

“People were happy to get together and network
with other school administrators,” said Eduardo Grandio, the director of
ICIF. “It gave them a chance not only to learn
the principles, but also to share experiences and learn from
people who have had successes in their work.”

It was not all work, however. The administrators and teachers
were able to get away to an Atlanta Braves game
on Tuesday, take a tour of Pinecrest Academy on Wednesday,
and gather for a Eucharistic holy hour on Thursday evening.

Eduardo Grandio, the
director of ICIF, was also pleased to announce the unveiling
of the new ICIF web site. Its stated goal is

A moment of Eucharistic adoration at the holy hour on Thursday.

to “develop and maintain educational models of excellence, faithful to
the principles of Christian humanism, through processes focused on theory,
innovation, and the needs of society.”

One innovation of the
ICIF site is its internationality. Through ICIF, schools in the
United States and Canada are connected to an international network
of over 175 schools, all of which use the method
of Integral FormationSM. In addition to the United States and
Canada, these schools are located in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, El
Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary,
Germany, and the Philippines.

The ICIF web site
also presents a detailed explanation of the 8 characteristics which
serve as the backbone of the Legionary model of education:

Integral Formation

Academic Excellence

Christian View of Man

Family Involvement

Leadership Preparation

Personal Attention

Positive
Discipline

Social Servicetestuco sasas sasas sasa sa s s s

ICIF’s international reach in the field of education.

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For teachers and administrators, ICIF also provides a listing of
the various services it provides, from professional development to curriculum
help to school operations and administration consulting.

For more information
about ICIF and the Legionaries of Christ’s IntegralFormationSM method of
education, visit www.icifusa.com.